A pilot escaped serious injury on Monday when his crop-duster stalled and crashed in a sugar cane field west of Belle Glade, Palm Beach Sheriff`s Office officials said.

Palm Beach Fire-Rescue workers late Monday said that about 40 gallons of methomy, a highly toxic pesticide carried on the plane, leaked from tanks after the crash.

The pesticide did not appear to pose an environmental threat, said Palm Beach Fire-Rescue spokesman Ken Fisher. Members of the department`s hazardous material team had to hack through sugar cane to get to the crash scene. State Department of Environmental Regulation officials were to go to the scene today.

Methomy is toxic when ingested. Its toxicity is less when inhaled or touched. However, if burned, it emits highly toxic fumes.

The pilot, James Busbee Jr., 19, was listed in good condition on Monday at Palms West Hospital, where he was admitted for observation and treatment of bruises and minor cuts, said Sgt. John Russ.

Busbee was flying a plane owned by his father, who also owns Glades Ag Services.

Russ said Busbee was dusting corn west of Belle Glade near Brown`s Farm Road when the airplane stalled and crashed into a sugar cane field about 9:30 a.m.

Busbee was able to free himself from the wreckage and walk a quarter mile through the dense sugar cane to a road, where a crop worker saw him and notified authorities of the plane crash.

Busbee was flown by the Trauma Hawk helicopter to the hospital, Russ said.